The all-Republican state Supreme Court ruled in Abbott’s favor on Monday, denying Democrats’ request to overturn a veto of a legislative funding measure, which would leave lawmakers without cash for the next two-year session.

The judges argued that the funding issue “continues to exist not because of a dispute between the Governor and the Legislature, nor even because of one between the Governor and a minority of House members,” adding the dispute is primarily between lawmakers and that it cannot intervene.

This political dispute within the legislative branch is not an issue of separation of powers that we can decide.

ALSO ON RT.COMFederal judge sides with Biden administration, blocks Texas measure to stop transportation of illegal immigrantsIn their challenge, state Democrats argued that Abbott had overstepped his authority as governor and violated the constitutional separation of powers between lawmakers and the executive by vetoing the funding. The court did not accept that rationale, saying the matter could have been settled if the Democrats had worked with other lawmakers, but declined to do so.

The judges also observed that if a total loss of funds were truly “imminent,” they would expect other lawmakers “besides members of the House Democratic Caucus” to object, noting that no Republicans had joined the complaint.

With the funds set to run dry, Abbott has announced a special legislative session that will extend into September, and has allocated some stop-gap funding to allow proceedings to continue during that time. Unless the dispute can be resolved during the special session, the funding will remain in limbo.

The controversy erupted after a number of Democratic lawmakers left the state in order to prevent the lower chamber from having quorum during a May vote on a controversial election bill. Democrats obstructing the legislation insist it would violate voting rights and limit access to the ballot box for marginalized groups, but Republican opponents have put the measure high on their agenda, arguing it is needed to combat voter fraud in the state.

Both the voting bill as well as the funding measure are on the agenda for the current special session.

Following the walk-out, Abbot blasted the lawmakers involved, vetoing their appropriations proposal while stating that “Funding should not be provided for those who quit their job early, leaving their state with unfinished business and exposing taxpayers to higher costs for an additional legislative session.”

While opponents have vowed to continue fighting Abbott on the issue, with legal pressure group Democracy Forward insisting it would “review the court’s decision” as it determined the next steps on Monday night, the governor’s office cheered the ruling, saying Democrats had “run out of excuses.”

“The Texas Supreme Court has again recognized that ‘the Governor has power to disapprove any bill and upheld the governor’s veto power granted under the Texas Constitution,” Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze said in a statement.

It’s time to stop the charades and get back to work doing the job they were elected to do – voting on critical legislation on behalf of their constituents.

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In a statement on Friday, the Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin criticized“attempts by a number of Western politicians to reconsider the causes of World War II,” as well as to “question the decisive role of the Soviet Union in the defeat of Nazism.”

According to Volodin, groups that have an “interest in the rehabilitation of Nazism and its ideologists are operating in the open.”

Nobody and nothing can justify the crimes of Nazism.

The comments came after the Russian parliament adopted a resolution earlier this week that marked the anniversary of the trials of Nazi leaders. The motion stated that it is unacceptable in Russia to “glorify Nazism in any way,” to desecrate monuments to Allied soldiers, or for countries to make those actions state policy. It also praised the wartime anti-Hitler coalition for “establishing an international security framework to save future generations from wars.”

ALSO ON RT.COMWestern attempts to rewrite history of WW2 & turn conflict into political football have incensed Russians, now Moscow strikes backConcerns have previously been raised over attempts of far-right political movements across a number of European countries to rewrite historic accounts of the era. Poland, for example, attempted to distance itself from Nazi crimes that took place on its soil during the 1940s. Global leaders, historians and academics criticized a law introduced by the country’s right-wing government in 2018, that they claimed would criminalize references to the involvement of Poland or Polish people in the Holocaust. Camps like Auschwitz-Birkenau, Sobibor and Treblinka were established in what is now modern-day Poland, and only around one in ten of the country’s Jewish community survived the genocide.

Earlier this week, at a virtual awards ceremony held by the Russian Jewish Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that relations between the two countries were “growing stronger” and praised efforts to ensure Holocaust remembrance in Russia.

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